Iran offers Hormuz reopening in talks
- Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington ends its blockade and the war, after President Donald Trump scrapped in-person talks. - Six Iranian oil tankers carrying about 10.5 million barrels were forced back by the U.S. blockade, while only seven ships crossed Hormuz in a day. - The strait usually carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. (reuters.com)
Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifts its blockade on Iranian ports and agrees to end the war. (apnews.com) (nytimes.com) The proposal was passed through Pakistani mediators and would postpone talks on Iran’s nuclear program until later, according to regional officials and the New York Times. President Donald Trump called off a planned round of face-to-face talks and said Iran could talk by phone instead. (apnews.com) (nytimes.com) White House officials said Trump reviewed the offer with his national security team on Monday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran cannot dictate who uses the waterway, signaling the administration was not ready to accept Tehran’s terms. (cnbc.com) (nbcnews.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It normally handles about 20% of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas supply, so even partial disruption can move energy prices worldwide. (reuters.com) Traffic remains far below normal. Reuters reported that 125 to 140 ships usually cross the strait each day, but only seven did so in the past day, and none were carrying oil for the global market. (reuters.com) The blockade is already hitting Iranian exports. Reuters, citing ship-tracking data, reported that six tankers carrying an estimated 10.5 million barrels of Iranian oil were forced back to Iranian ports in recent days. (reuters.com) France used a United Nations Security Council session on Monday to press Tehran harder. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said there could be no lasting solution unless Iran made “major concessions” and changed course. (english.alarabiya.net) Iran has framed the offer as a narrower shipping deal first, with the nuclear dispute left for later. Washington is treating that sequencing as the problem, because reopening the strait without a nuclear commitment would leave the central U.S. demand unresolved. (nytimes.com) (cnbc.com) For now, the diplomacy has narrowed to a basic trade: shipping access and an end to the blockade in exchange for de-escalation, with the nuclear issue still hanging over any broader deal. (apnews.com) (nytimes.com)
